Australia is as familiar and accessible to most of us as the Moon. From a school geography course, we know that this is a country-continent, that kangaroos and... these, whatever they call them, snout ducks or platypuses live there.
And not everyone can name the capital. Which of the three cities is the capital of Australia (answer at the end of the article):
Some people dream of going to the other side of the world because it has one of the highest standards of living in the world. The state gladly accepts immigrants, especially educated ones, and helps them settle down.
Australia, despite regularly ranking 1st in various quality of life rankings, is not without its shortcomings. It's time to dilute the sugary nonsense about Australia that my Facebook friends have been forced to endure for the past 3 months.
Australia definitely inspired the screenwriters of the film Arachnophobia. From morning to evening you can observe various reptiles. And unless you're an insect expert, in your mind they're all ideal candidates for the role of the main character in the TV show Australia's Worst Killers.
Having moved to a private house, you are doomed to an ongoing struggle with the invasions of some uninvited guests, then others. Every week, one of the family members will signal the next discovery in the field of insectology with a heart-rending cry of “Dad, come here quickly.”
In the city center, in an apartment, the situation is a little better, but arachnophobes are still not recommended to relax.
According to statistics, of course, since 1981, not a single death from a spider bite has been recorded in Australia, but even a non-fatal case can hardly be called a pleasant adventure.
2. All my life Jamshut
At school, I was always among the excellent students in English, I worked in foreign companies all my life and I did not suffer from lack of English practice. I read tons of technical literature and blogs in English. I took IELTS twice and, in principle, I can even be proud of my 8.0 for the last attempt. But despite all this, I still feel a little deficient in terms of language.
You can study a foreign language for a very long time and persistently, but it so happens that most of life experience has already been gained not in English and it’s worth touching on a new topic for me in some friendly dialogue with a colleague (for example, kitchen utensils or architecture, believe me, there are enough such topics ) and I begin to feel like a weak-minded person who is unable to express even the simplest thought.
The sense of humor suffers especially greatly when translated into a foreign language. If you are used to being the life of the party, you could elegantly express your thought seasoned with a subtle joke, then forget about it, at least for the next few years. Even if you know English well, your jokes will often not fit in with the local cultural context.
In principle, language learning follows the general 80/20 rule - you spend 20 percent of your time learning the first 80%, but you will have to spend 80% of your time learning the last 20% of the language. There are, of course, unique people who easily grasp a new language and its nuances, but that is precisely why they are unique.
In my first article about Australia, I already talked about prices, but I think it’s worth repeating. Prices once again show what this brutal grin of capitalism is like.
You have to pay for everything, just like in your homeland. But Australian life, firstly, includes many new unexpected aspects of costs, and secondly, prices are much higher.
For example, car insurance can easily cost $1,000. Add to this the annual tax of about a thousand dollars and mandatory technical inspections, and this is another 600-800 dollars. That is, the minimum cost of owning a car easily exceeds $200 a month, even if you haven’t started the car even once in a year.
Do you think, “No problem with this car, I’ll take public transport”? Do you want to buy yourself an annual train pass only (trains and ferries will require separate passes) and only, for example, for travel between zones 1 and 3? Please pay $1600. And it’s also inexpensive, because if you buy weekly passes, it will cost more than 2,000 in a year.
Didn't take out private health insurance after turning 30? The government will be happy to increase your income tax by another 1%. At the same time, more or less decent insurance for a family will cost $150-200 per month.
And God forbid you decide to get a dental implant. In Astana, for the same money you can get 5 implants.
In general, there are enough surprises and you constantly have to adjust your budget.
4. Evil Sun
Australia's ultra-hyperactive sun acts as a powerful heating device. As soon as he comes out from behind the clouds, you immediately begin to feel like a piece of meat on the grill, even if just a couple of minutes ago you were cold. It's no surprise that Australians have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
True, I suspect that the descendants of the whitish Englishmen who suffer most from this, who even in this sun manage to remain pale.
5. New Year without snow
Hundreds and thousands of people leave the snowy lands of Kazakhstan to celebrate the New Year on the beach and return with a matte tan to the envy of all their colleagues.
At the same time, those who come to Australia for the New Year are embarrassed to admit to themselves that without snow the New Year is somehow unreal. Everything, of course, is beautifully decorated, the fireworks are breathtaking, but one gets the feeling that the whole country is trying to put a good face on a bad game. And it seems to me that when everyone leaves the festive table for their beds, everyone is quietly sad about the crunchy snow underfoot, about the bathhouse on a frosty day, about the ice slides and castles. And even those third-generation Australians who have never seen snow restlessly toss and turn in their sleep on New Year’s Eve, tormented by genetic nostalgia for a winter fairy tale.
6. Tolerance
The views of the majority of citizens of post-Soviet countries can be greatly affected by the number of freaks and people of non-traditional sexual orientation. A person who is firmly convinced that the “blue infection” cannot be tolerated under any circumstances is doomed to defeat in Australia. If you are not ready to reconsider your views on many things, if contemptuous “tolerance” often comes out of your mouth, then I’m afraid you will be very uncomfortable in Australia.
Those who like to simply swim along the coast in the quiet and warm ocean waves have nothing to do in Australia, unlike surfing fans. The waves here almost never subside and instead of calmly floundering, everyone has fun jumping on the waves.
Water, despite year-round summer, is not “fresh milk” at all. At best, the water temperature approaches Issykul.
Warnings about sharks or jellyfish are regularly posted on the beaches, and underwater currents are terribly dangerous - recently, a friend of ours, who had literally just arrived in Sydney, had already managed to appreciate the quality work of Australian rescuers when she began to be carried away from the shore in front of her unsuspecting husband.
8. Competition
This, of course, is not yet Canada, which very actively collected high-quality immigrants from all over the world, but nevertheless, the level of competition in the labor market is much higher than in Kazakhstan. Good specialists in Kazakhstan are very capricious and selective. Here, even if you are good and talented, they can always find a replacement for you quickly enough.
After you find a job, everyone usually says “Lucky” and congratulates you as if it’s your name day.
9. Australia is the ass of the world
You can't fly home from here. Pure flight time from Astana to Sydney is about 19 hours. This is not Europe, where even by car you can cross three borders in 3 hours.
I would like to gather all my close relatives around for big holidays, but with such distances this is a very expensive and difficult pleasure.
10. Internet
The price-quality ratio of the local Internet is disappointing. After a couple of months in Sydney, Kazakhtelecom seems like just the perfect provider to me.
A measly 30 bucks for a real “unlim” is both the Kazakh reality and the distant Australian future.
Undoubtedly, Australia is one of the most beautiful countries. The Internet is replete with photographs of the mainland state, causing delight among typical tourists who are willing to come and admire the exotic places of the mysterious country washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Stunning landscapes, beaches shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, the ocean coast and unusual animals - what is not heaven on Earth? However, the downside of this country is the many dangers that await a person at every step. Residents of Australia know which places to avoid and how to behave in case of an emergency, but an inexperienced tourist can pay for carelessness with health or even life.
The saltwater crocodile is the largest coastal predator in the country, and throughout the world. He feels quite comfortable near the tourist Australian coasts. If a person encounters this reptile, it will be impossible to avoid death - with a mass that sometimes reaches 2 tons and a height of about 7 meters, the crocodile is still very agile and fast. According to statistics, about 40 people die every year from the teeth of a saltwater crocodile in Australia. It is suspected that these predators killed about a thousand Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Most of the poisonous spiders live in Australia. They amaze not only with their large size and beautiful appearance, but also with dangerous bites. Spiders like the Black Widow and Atrax Robustus can even be found at home, when you, for example, have dinner with your Australian friends. You can recognize a black widow by the red spot on its back. Its bite can cause lifelong mental deterioration if an antidote is not injected within an hour after the bite. And Atrax Robustus can even kill a person.
Snakes are everywhere in Australia. They crawl along beaches, forests, climb into human houses and even into cars. It is worth saying that Australian pythons do not attack humans unless absolutely necessary, unless for the purpose of self-defense. But an ordinary tourist who goes into the toilet and sees a snake crawling out of the drain may try to defend himself from shock or scream, which will scare the python. The snake, in turn, will definitely attack because it will decide that you are going to kill it.
These huge snails seem very cute and completely harmless to humans. However, in reality it is one of the most poisonous predators in Australia. During the day, the marbled snail sleeps, burrowing into the sand. But at night she goes hunting. These snails love to eat fish. Using poison secreted from their teeth, they paralyze their prey and immediately swallow it. A person who is walking along the coast late in the evening or at the same time swimming in the ocean may want to pet a snail. The aggressive mollusk will immediately attack in response, and if an antidote is not administered in the coming hours, the bite may result in death for the tourist.
The history of this dog's life alongside Australians is very interesting and controversial. They say that Dingoes used to be pets, but later went wild. Australians of past centuries, in order to save their household from attacks by these dogs, decided to build a fence that was equal to one third of the Chinese Wall. Even now you can see the surviving fragments of this fence built by farmers. Dingoes travel in packs, and a person who encounters such a crowd of dogs can get into serious trouble.
When these huge beetles gather in a gigantic cluster, an unprepared tourist can simply get a shock, because the spectacle looks simply terrifying. Thousands of huge beetles crawling around are a common phenomenon for residents of Australia, but not for visitors to the country. These beetles are predators; most often they attack smaller insects. However, if at least one such beetle grabs your leg or arm, then in addition to shock you will experience severe pain and will hardly be able to unclench its tenacious jaws. Imagine what will happen if several representatives from a swarm of soft-bodied animals try to bite you at once.
At first glance at such worms, you can easily confuse them with snakes. These are such huge worms that their length reaches 3 or even 4 meters. They are absolutely harmless to humans, but they look truly terrifying. A tourist out of shock may try to kill such a creature, but under no circumstances should this be done - these huge earthworms are carefully protected by the state. The Australian centipede or scolopendra can be poisonous to humans if it is frightened by it. The tropics of Australia are home to giant centipedes, whose bite can be fatal.
Shark fins are sometimes visible to the naked eye right from the beach. Australian newspapers and magazines report on attacks by these huge predators every day. Thousands of residents and tourists die from their teeth every year. Recreation in certain areas is considered extreme due to the fact that sharks swim very close to the shore. And recently, these huge fish have even begun to move into rivers. To increase circulation, some publications write that sharks specifically hunt people and swim ashore, but this is just a newspaper duck - sharks prefer to eat smaller fish and mammals.
This octopus is distinguished by its rather small size and beautiful coloring in the form of blue rings. Local residents call them “small and remote.” These octopuses are very aggressive, it is advisable to avoid them. If a curious person approaches to take a closer look at the unusual color, the animal, which has a very aggressive character, will certainly attack. The venom of one such small octopus can kill up to 30 adult men.
Many tourists, having traveled extensively throughout all European and Asian countries, decide to travel globally. For example, visit another continent. And most often, many people choose Australia. After all, this is truly an amazing country. The lives of people there are closely intertwined with nature. But you shouldn’t immediately rush out and run to buy tickets for the first flight to Australia. It is better to first study some of the intricacies of a given country, which can significantly affect your desire to go there.
Since Australia has rich nature and rich wildlife, this will be the main unpleasant moment. A large number of unpleasant-looking and very dangerous insects can scare even an experienced tourist. Also in Australia there is a wide variety of wild and extremely dangerous animals, meeting with which can end very sadly.
Australia is home to the largest and most dangerous species of crocodiles. Moreover, the main danger comes from their habitats. They very often settle near large coastal tourist areas. Therefore, when vacationing in Australia, a tourist must always be on the alert.
Australia is considered to be the leader among all countries in the largest number of poisonous spiders. Meeting with many types of these unpleasant creatures, in most cases can end very sadly. Moreover, you can run into spiders almost everywhere; you are not protected from this even in your own home.
There are a lot of snakes in Australia. They crawl everywhere, just like spiders. But pythons are considered a particularly dangerous species. Such a snake can easily swallow a person without choking.
In Australia, even in the water you will not be safe. Marbled snails may lie in wait for you there. If at first glance they may seem harmless and very beautiful, then upon contact with it, you may be stung by the most poisonous and ruthless aquatic predator. The bite of the marbled snail is very painful, and if the antidote is not administered in time, the person may die.
In addition to poisonous snails, there are also villages waiting for you in the water, who very much want to feast on you. You shouldn't swim too far from the shore.
In addition to the presented reasons not to visit Australia, there are many others that are no less dangerous for tourists. It’s better to think several times before buying plane tickets to this continent.
Every Australian animal wants to kill you. Well, it doesn’t have to be you - any person will suit these creatures. The statement is no doubt loud, but true. This continent is only considered civilized. In fact, there is about as much civilization here as on the desert plains of Central Africa. In the same Africa, a traveler risks dying in the jaws of an understandable lion. Or a rhinoceros, or a spear that a Maasai warrior throws at him out of boredom. All this is a familiar, unpleasant, but still not the most frightening death.
Australia has a lot to play for. Here the unlucky tourist is met not by tigers and rhinoceroses, but by giant deadly birds, giant (this definition can be safely added to almost all the creatures living here) snakes, crabs that look like fiends of hell, and spiders that look like aliens from the planet of horrors. Sharks and deadly insects? Still would! In general, if you are planning a trip to the antipodes, we advise you to look at our selection and think again. No photoshop. A complete truth that scares any reasonable person to the point of gray hair!
Real footage from local television, SkyNews. The shark swam into a pond adjacent to a golf course. It was no coincidence that the film crew ended up there: the day before, the same shark had a great bite from a player who accidentally dropped a ball into the water.
Of course, it will be very interesting to see who wins. But not enough to risk your life for it!
A standard warning posted on a completely ordinary city beach. Especially for those bathers without fear or reproach, who are not only knee-deep in the sea, but also in their own lives.
Nothing interesting, the dog caught a shark. And he eats. And looks at the photographer. Maybe this is his last photo?
